Zimbabwe’s state-owned power utility, Zesa Holdings Ltd., has announced the implementation of increased power rationing across the country due to a technical fault at the Hwange Thermal Power Station.
In a statement issued on Saturday, Zesa reported that the national grid is currently experiencing a significant reduction in electricity generation capacity due to a malfunction at Unit 8 of the Hwange Thermal Power Station, the country’s largest coal-fired power plant.
“As a result of this generation shortfall, the utility has had to implement increased load shedding schedules across the country in order to balance electricity supply and demand,” Zesa stated.
Zimbabwe is currently generating 897 megawatts of electricity, far below its installed capacity of 2,200 megawatts. The Hwange Thermal Power Station, which has an installed capacity of 1,500 megawatts, is contributing 635 megawatts to the grid.
Located in Western Zimbabwe, the Hwange plant is prone to frequent breakdowns due to its aging infrastructure. Despite a $1.5 billion upgrade completed last year by China’s Sinohydro, which added an additional 600 megawatts of capacity, the plant continues to struggle with reliability.
In addition to Hwange, Zimbabwe also relies on power generation from the Kariba Dam. However, output from Kariba has been significantly reduced due to low water levels, a consequence of the worst drought the region has experienced in 40 years.
The increased power cuts are expected to exacerbate the challenges faced by Zimbabwe’s economy, which is already grappling with energy shortages.